Never Let Go
by westparkgirls
Summary: An alien species lands on earth, searching for refugee. Only to be met with guns and camps and hatred. Our story follows eight young teens within the walls of an integrated academy as they deal with racism, school, friendship, first love, and judgement. Join Kylie, Erica, Sarah, and Kenzie in their fight for freedom. Join Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Stan as they search for themselves
1. Chapter 1

Little fingers gripped tightly at little hands. Sirens screamed into the humid night air. Flashing lights blinded out the stars. Four pairs of bare little feet stomped in the cold dirt, heading away from the panic and loud bangs. Four little girls ran from their parents in search for safety. None would let go and it was a slow trek further into the woods, broken only by occasional pauses.

"Ouvel ableck ichi?" panted a red-faced blonde, her grey dress tattered and dirtied. "Ouvel mon Penken?"

The skinny brunette at the front of their small line shook her head, cheeks stained with tears. "Jah didtch nair."

Another loud bang sounded behind them, ringing in their ears. Panicked, they shared looks with each other as they fumbled for some kind of plan. After another bang rang out, the plump red head perked up and pointed ahead. "Jah nair hublen upskin. Tehn gardicht parlemon."

Without another word, the brunette led them through the woods, following the directions the redhead would huff out until they came to the mouth of a cave. Silent and shaken, each child ventured deep to the back of the dark cave, huddled together as the world around them erupted with light and blood. Voices soon approached, followed by more bangs. The noirette child whimpered into her fist, trying to stay quiet.

But it didn't matter.

"Hey! They're some in here!" The strange words grew closer until an alien face peered at them from the mouth of the cave. "Come out!"

The alien was met with faces of confusion and the noirette bit back a sob. She could not lose her friends. As the alien approached, it's killing machine pointed at them, the little girl grabbed tightly to the redhead's hand, knowing she would do the same down the chain. With more strength than she knew she had, the girl pulled forth a familiar rush of adrenaline and sent it to the redhead and down to the last child until her strength poured through each one.

"Didtch beven godich."

* * *

The campus looked beautiful. Teenagers in crisp blue uniforms milled about, laying on blankets on the grounds or playing checkers or reading books by the large, sparkling fountain. A gaggle of plain-clothed teenagers looked around at the campus life curiously accompanied by parents currently listening intently to their tour guide. Talking about the academics, no doubt. Four teenagers huddled close together in the back of the group, taking in everything and barely believing that they all had been given the chance to go to a prestigious academy with their friends.

Suddenly a slim figure darted between them, a blur in their vision as they jumped apart. It was followed by a slightly taller and thicker blur, heading straight for the fountain. "What the-"

The slimmer figure seemed to have caught sight of the fountain and tried to stop but the taller blur barrelled into it, sending them both crashing into the fountain, water sparkling in the sun in the air. Girlish screams followed quickly by giggles broke the confusion that settled over the entire tour guide.

Tangled up into each other, soaking in the fountain, was a rim-rod brunnette, her long hair a wet curtain around her, and a tan, toned noirette, her short pixie hair dripping water down her chin. Smiles lit up their faces as they struggled to help each other up, but that wasn't what kept the tour group staring. It was the tattoos on their bodies.

"Atrians are allowed into this school?" Kyle nearly winced upon hearing his dad's tight, nervous voice.

The tour guide smiled politely, seeming to get this question a lot. "Yes. We have a group of eight Atrian teenagers going to school here in the hopes of spearheading integration."

Mr. Broflovski continued despite the obvious warning in her voice. By now they had earned the stares of the tattooed Atrians in the fountain. "Why on earth would you let our kids intermix with those-those colonists? Didn't we learn anything from our future selves?"

Looking a bit uncomfortable, the tour guide answered, "Because they deserve freedom. Now, if you would all wait patiently, our star student will be here shortly to answer any questions your children have over the school and it's studies."

"No child of mine will be going to school with a Tattie." One parent said vehemently. Others murmured agreement but no one made a move to leave. This was one of the best private schools in the country and they wouldn't want to throw away all that money.

"That's a shame, I would have loved to meet him." said a polite, friendly voice from behind Cartman. They all turned to see a tall, curvy teenager with an unruly mop of red curls. Smiling, she let them take in her form. Especially the green tattoos crawling up the left side of her neck and jaw, like tree branches. "Hello all, I'm Kylie and I'm here to answer some questions you may have."

Cartman had to admire how her smile never faltered underneath the glares of future peers and parents, her chin raised as if challenging anyone to make a comment. Silence met her statement in which her gaze never faltered. "None? Well, alright. Let me just say a few words then.

"This school is filled with wonderful and skilled teachers whose sole purpose here is to guide your children. Beyond academics, this school fully supports the arts and offers a wide variety of electives and clubs to help your child belong. Within these walls, you will find a family that will never abandon you in your time of need. Plus, you're guaranteed to get into your college of choice just by going here."

Kylie's gaze softened as she looked at the crowd. "So don't let us Atrians stop you from giving your child the best that you can. Enjoy the rest of the tour." Leaving people shocked and bewildered, Kylie skirted around them to the fountain where she helped the other two girls up and out of the water before walking with them back towards the dorms.

It was then Kyle noticed they were on roller skates. That would explain how fast they were going. "Okay, let's go back to the office and I hope to see many of your here next week for your first day." chirped the tour guide, rounding up the people's attentions expertly.

"What was that about?" demanded the petite brunette, dark eyes shooting Kylie an annoyed glare.

"Cool it, Erica, there's no sense causing a fuss. The faculty has already been so nice to us, we can't turn away business." She answered with a tired sigh. "And nice crash back there."

Her best friend, Sarah grinned and brushed her hair back, the maze-like tattoos on her arms glinting like water in the sun. "Thanks. Hey, are we meeting Kenzie for lunch?"

* * *

"Dad, please just listen to me." Kyle begged, straining against his seatbelt from the backseat. "Who cares if Atrians go there? It's ranked number one in the country! Think of the lawyers who've gone there!"

His dad stayed silent, stony, in the front seat. The stout, curvaceous woman met her son's pleading gaze and tried her hand at swaying her husband out of his overreaction. "Gerald, it is a great school. And we have to trust we raised Kyle to do what's best for him."

No answer. Not even when they returned home and Kyle trudged up to his room, trying to come up with some way to convince his stubborn father. There was no way he could leave his best friends and stay in this crummy South Park. There was no way he could pass up this opportunity and not live to regret it. So he called Stan and bounced off ideas with the jock before being called down for dinner. Each plea or argument Kyle made was met with a glare and aversion from Gerald until Kyle was finally fed up.

"I'm going."

"No."

"Dad, I was accepted into Harlington Academy and I'm going. You can't stop me."

"Like hell I can't. You aren't going and that's final. Any more word out of you and you can just march yourself up those stairs."

Green eyes glaring, Kyle stood from the table and marched himself up the stairs, much to the bewilderment of his parents. Once inside the safety of his room, Kyle texted his friends, resorting to low manipulation. As requested, Kyle could hear the phone ringing downstairs and his mother say it was for his father. This happened three times before he was finally called down, Gerald's voice tired and frustrated.

"Fine, you can go. But if I see you conversing with one of those, I'm pulling you out immediately."


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do we have to study here?" Sarah looked around the crowded cafeteria apprehensively. "People are staring."

"And that's exactly why we're here. Get over it, Sarah, and let the assholes stare." Erica huffed and flipped to a clean sheet of paper, frowning at the blank lines.

The four Atrains had made camp at an empty table, far from the humans but they couldn't escape the stares. By now, it didn't bother the others much, but Sarah still found it uncomfortable, causing her to scoot closer to Kylie whose nose was buried in a biology textbook. Time had passed uneventfully, or as uneventfully as possible, for the girls and now they had finally made it to the day they had all been looking forward to: the first day of school. Of course, they had been here for a week or so to get settled in, but now the real fun was about to start.

The bells chimed, signalling the end of breakfast, and Erica hopped up from her seat. Kylie bookmarked her page and slowly stood after Sarah tugging on her sleeve. Kenzie shouldered her bag, smiling softly. As always, Erica took charge. "Okay, so, we don't share many classes, but we meet back here at lunch, okay?"

All in agreement, they parted ways. Sarah and Kylie headed for Biology on the second level. Kenzie slowly walked to Algebra, her face not looking too happy. And Erica confidently marched down the halls to English Literature. Learning wasn't what had each of them excited-okay, maybe for Kylie it was-but the opportunity to interact with the humans. No one had willingly approached any of them, and now they'd be forced into conversing. It wasn't every day the aliens were able to talk to the other species without them hurling insults.

Erica paused in the doorway, looking at the small desks already claimed by the pink mammals, before making her way to an empty seat. Conversation seemed to halt as she approached and when it became clear what seat she had chosen, a few students near her stood up and moved. Determined not to let it ruin her good mood, Erica rolled her eyes and slid into the cold plastic chair, glad she had worn tights to protect her skin from the chill. It felt like hours of silence passed by until the two minute bell rang and a rush of students flowed from the door and into empty seats, not noticing an Atrian amongst them. She had started to doodle in her notebook when a flash of red caught her eye. Looking up, Erica was startled to see the boy from yesterday, one of the pair she had barreled past before falling into the fountain.

He caught her eye and ducked his head, blushing from what Erica assumed to be embarrassment. Feeling, dare-she-admit-it, hopeful, Erica gave him a soft smile and held her breath as he made his way towards her. He glanced around the empty seats all around her before gesturing to one, "This seat taken?"

He had a sense of humor, she liked that. Grinning up at him, Erica shook her head. "You'd think I had the plague or something."

"Or some deadly, incurable space disease."

Erica laughed, finding herself more and more at ease with this stranger. "Erica."

"Kyle, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh, sorry about running into you yesterday." She paused. "Actually, no, I'm not. You were in the way."

His eyebrows raised. "And let me guess, the fountain was in your way, too?"

They shared a grin when the teacher walked in, ending their conversation to direct the students to a page in Hamlet.

* * *

In a similar manner, Kenzie found herself surrounded by empty desks, but unlike Erica, too many people stared at her. Of course, many male onlookers were staring at her ample bosom and she was used to that, so it didn't bother her much. The isolation did. She was a social creature. Luck seemed to be on her side, though. Just before the bell rang, a tall, broad-shouldered noiret slid into the room, smiling absentmindedly.

It was as if he didn't even notice the class-wide isolation Kenzie was being put through. Instead he walked confidently up to one of the desks and claimed it as his own. Kenzie watched him out of the corner of her eye until the teacher appeared and put them all to work on logs and exponentials. Math didn't come easy to Kenzie and soon she was tugging at her blonde locks and grunting in frustration.

"You have to use e instead of log, switch the formula." The dark-haired boy leaned over her shoulder and took her pencil, quietly correcting her mistakes.

Surprised, Kenzie barely murmured, "Thank you."

"Not a problem. This must be pretty hard for you to grasp, huh?" He didn't seem to be making fun of her. His smile was open and friendly.

"Yeah, we didn't really use this kind of stuff where I'm from. And I'm more of an abstract person." Kenzie returned his smile, holding out her hand in a gesture which she had seen other humans do. "Kenzie."

"Stan." He shook it, amusement glittering in his blue eyes. "Here, I'll help you finish up."

* * *

Kylie waved by to Sarah as she dashed off to her next class, trying to keep her good mood up. She didn't want to be here, but the girls needed looking after and Kylie didn't trust anyone else with the job. Wherever they go, she goes. Heaving a sigh, she clutched her books to her chest and walked to second period, Advanced Calculus. Head down and mind elsewhere, she didn't see the person turn the corner until she had run straight into them and stumbled back, nearly falling if strong arms hadn't caught her.

"'Ey! Watch where you're going, Red." A male voice snapped and Kylie looked up to see a familiar unfriendly face. He was taller than her which was surprising and the grin on his face wasn't too friendly.

"My name isn't Red." She snapped back, glaring slightly. Amusement glittered in his hazel eyes. "My name is Kylie. I'm sorry I bumped into you, but if you'll excuse me."

Kylie stepped around his wide form and continued walking, anger sparking inside her chest. She ignored him as he called out, "It's not nice to hit and run, Red!"

* * *

Gym class was by far the best part of her day. They started with swimming which meant water and she had her own lane. Sarah ran laps like a fish, barely even coming up for air, and lost herself in the adrenaline rush. It wasn't until the teacher ordered her out of the already emptied pool did Sarah step foot on land. She headed to the locker room, grateful that the humans had cleared out quickly and left her the entire room alone, and peeled out of her swimsuit.

Sarah washed her hair quick to get out the chlorine and then returned to get dressed, only to find her locker's door open and it's insides gutted. Her clothes were scattered and trashed on the floor, each item worse than the next. They would offer no cover, not with all the rips running through them. Tears burned her eyes and she fought to keep them from falling as she read the note taped to the inside of the locker.

"Go home, Tattie." Voice cracking, Sarah struggled to get herself together and not fall apart. How could someone do this to her? She hadn't hurt anyone.

Quickly feeling hopeless, Sarah sunk down on the bench and rubbed her eyes hard with the butt of her palms. Then a plan came to her. It wasn't ideal, but it was all that might be able to save her from humiliation in walking around naked. Pulling the towel around her tighter, she slid from the locker room and headed purposefully to the storage room where spare uniforms were kept.

She dug through the bin for something to put on and nearly started crying when she realized these had been vandalized as well. Frantically, Sarah kept searching, the tears falling hot down her cheeks.

"Ahem."

Eyes wide with fear, Sarah froze and saw a thin blond in the doorway. He glanced at her naked form, blue eyes softening, before covering his eyes. In a gentle voice, he asked, "Did they take your clothes?"

"T-Tore them up." Her voice cracked, making her want to cry even more. Cheeks burning, Sarah wrapped her arms around herself and hoped he would just go away.

Instead, he took his hand away from his eyes and met her teary gaze, never straying from it as he slowly approached. The stranger unzipped the orange jacket he was wearing and drapped it over Sarah's shoulders. "Zip it up, it's long enough to cover most of you."

Sarah did without a word, relieved to find it went down to her thighs. "Thank you."

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your dorm."

He wrapped an arm tight around her shoulders and Sarah leaned into it gratefully. Trusting him, Sarah followed him out of the gym and through hallways towards the girls' dormatory. Not many people were in the halls during a class period but the people they did meet were silenced by one look the stranger gave. It wasn't long before Sarah's hand was on the handle of her room. "I'll be right back."

She ducked in and shut the door tight behind her then unzipped the jacket. It was damp from her wet skin. Putting that out of her mind, Sarah quickly dressed and then opened the door, jacket in hand and a thank you at the ready. Only to be met with air. She looked down the hallway but couldn't see any sign of the blond. He was like a guardian angel. A small smile played on her lips as she returned to her room and waited until next period to find her friends. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.


End file.
